Month: April 2016

As many people know, I’ve been unemployed for a while now. I’m living in a small town that doesn’t have many job options (though I’m not giving up). For the last few months, I’ve been paying bills by selling items on Ebay and some help from relatives. Unfortunately, my family cannot help this month, and I’ve run out of items to sell on ebay. I have rent coming up next week ($412) and I need to buy cat and dog food (as well as cat litter-roughly $50). If anyone is in a position to donate (here’s my PayPal), it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance to anyone and everyone!

If you can’t donate, no worries. I understand that many people might not be in a position to donate. If you can’t, please consider spreading the word on social media.

Nick Kapur is a U.S. based historian who specializes in modern Japan and East Asia. Recently he created a map of Japanese stereotypes of European countries. The map, which is based on Japanese Google autocomplete suggestions, reveals some interesting stereotypes Japanese people hold about various countries. For instance, they view Sweden as a place with handsome men. I’m single and would love to have a handsome man in my life (though he’d have to be more than just a good looking guy). Perhaps a trip to Sweden is in order one day. Meanwhile, the Japanese apparently think of England as a place with bad food. I’m curious about this one, bc I know nothing about English food (aside from their use of vinegar on fries…yuck). I wonder if there are specific dishes that are thought of as bad. There are also stereotypes that make some degree of sense (looking at y’all Switzerland, Greece, and Italy). And then there are the stereotypes that make me confuzzled. Why is Portugal perceived as weak? France has no fat people? And what’s up with Latvia?

There are police officers who dutifully perform their jobs. They police their communities with an eye on treating people fairly and equitably. These law enforcement officials also engage suspects with the minimum level of force sufficient to resolve a situation and they set an example as morally upstanding agents of the state who use their power and positions responsibly. Sadly, there are a great many police officers who are the opposite of good cops. These are the law enforcement officers who stalk, sexually assault, and rape people, whether on the job or off. These are the cops who use their power and privilege to terrorize, harass, and berate citizens, or to assault and kill them. These are the police officers who are supposed to set an example of proper behavior, yet lie under oath, falsify evidence, accept bribes, and undermine criminal investigations. The following stories are examples of these shameful, immoral, unethical, deplorable officers of the law:

Whether it’s Hollywood awards shows that predominately recognize the accomplishments of white people while overlooking those of PoC or the film industry’s history of whitewashing, the lack of racial diversity and inclusivity has become a popular topic. Over at The Mary Sue, Jessica Lachenal writes about one aspect of Hollywood’s racism that may not be on the radar of many:

If you answered yes to any of the above rhyming questions (of my creation), then congrats, your masculinity may be fragile. The above Tweets are part of the #MasculinitySoFragilehashtag, which originated as a way for feminists and their allies to mock and criticize the toxic attitudes and beliefs our society associates with masculinity. From beliefs about the type of alcoholic beverages a “real man” drinks, to the type of careers men are supposed to lean towards, to the perception that displays of affection between men are “unmanly”, to discriminatory and marginalizing views about LGBT people, #MasculinitySoFragile is part of an ongoing effort to criticize rigid and ultimately destructive ideas of how masculinity is defined. To the surprise of few, the hashtag evoked outrage from men who crawled out of the woodwork to complain that it was an attack on men in general, rather than a criticism of toxic masculinity. Amusingly, many of those who claimed the hashtag was demeaning towards men proved through their responses that masculinity really is a fragile concept. The frailty of masculinity was demonstrated once again in the responses to a recent mockumentary-No Men Beyond This Point.

Earlier this year, I found myself feeling bad for white people. It was February, and of course, that’s the one whole month that Black people get to celebrate our achievements, our history, and our accomplishments. Indigenous people get an entire month too: November. Hispanic people also get a full thirty days to celebrate their heritage, from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. But white people? Where is the month set aside for white folks to celebrate their heritage and history? I mean ok, sure, students in the public school system in the U.S. are taught about white explorers, white chemists, white mathematicians, white playwrights, white colonists, white artists, white politicians, white physicists, white cosmonauts, white inventors, and more (throughout the entire year), but where is the one month for honoring the history of white people in the United States? There is no month set aside for that! Not wanting white folks to feel like their history wasn’t being honored, I dug around and came up with a list of subjects that might be taught in a White History Month(since I knew that public schools already teach about the achievements, exploits, and inventions of white folks, I thought it would be a good idea to find lesser known historical examples that deserve recognition). As I completed it, I recognized that it still really wasn’t fair to white people. After all, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Native American Heritage Month have been recognized for 40 years, 28 years, and 26 years respectively. Thinking it might be a good idea to double up on White History Month to try and make up for the decades white folks have been deprived of a month set aside just for them, I decided to dig around for more examples of white history. And thus we have White History Month part 2 (I even gave white folks a specific month all their own):

You have a problem with racial diversity, and you’ve had it for a long time (pretty much your entire existence, to be frank). Sadly, it has become apparent that you seem bound and determined to do exactly fuck-all about this problem. It’s as if you’re perfectly fine with excluding People of Color at all levels by perpetuating the co-narratives of white dominance and superiority that pervade the industry. While these issues manifest in a variety of ways (see the 2015 Diversity Report for many of the dismal details), a key one that is currently weighing on my mind is whitewashing:

Welcome to the Speakeasy. I’m your host-the bartender with the mostest. Kick your feet up and relax with the gang. Have a drink (with or without alcohol). Hang out. Socialize. Vent. Share recipes or favorite books. Whatever you feel like doing. You’re not intruding on anyone, so feel free to drop a line. Just keep it civil and kind. Disagreements are fine, but I don’t want any fights (and of course bigotry of any sort is not welcome).

More than 800,000 people serve as local and state law enforcement officials in the United States. These police officers are charged with upholding and enforcing the law, maintaining order, and providing general services. To carry out these duties, police officers possess certain powers, granted by the state. If the situation calls for it, police officers can frisk, detain, and arrest civilians, as well as seize property. In addition, depending upon the situation, police officers are empowered to use force to defend themselves or civilians (the amount of force extends along a spectrum from police presence through deadly force). Given the powers that police officers have, it is incumbent upon them to maintain a level of professionalism in the course of their duties and to wield their powers responsibly and ethically. Unfortunately, there are countless examples of cops engaging in a range of irresponsible, unethical, immoral, and/or illegal activities from bribery and unjustified arrests to illegal search and seizure and the use of excessive force. Here are five examples of